DIY Trends to Transform your Closet

Since we’ve all been stuck in quarantine, finding new activities outside of school or work has become increasingly difficult. Sure, making bread that one time was fun but it gets old quickly. Here are some fun trends that you can apply to your clothes for a quarantine makeover!

Bleaching your Clothes

There are a couple of ways to use bleach to upgrade your closet. For all of these trends, make sure you use gloves and masks to protect your skin from any harmful chemicals. Here are some fun DIY bleach trends that will change your OOTD game.

1. Grab a dark, 100% cotton shirt, some bleach, and rubber bands. The easiest way to do this is to scrunch up your shirt to create different patterns. You can try the spiral pattern: pinch the middle of the shirt and spin it in one direction. Another pattern is bunching: scrunch up different parts of the fabric and secure those spots with rubber bands. Take a spray bottle filled with bleach to help distribute the bleach instead of dumping too much of it on one spot. Let the bleach sit for about 7-8 minutes and gently wash it out with your hands or a cold washing setting. Throw it in the dryer and you’ll be ready to show off your fabulous new items on Instagram.
2. Bleaching denim is a delicate process and you need to have all the right materials: bleach, duct tape, and cookie-cutter stencils (optional). Start by taping along the seam, usually around the zipper, and follow that seam all the way with the duct tape. Make sure you cover at least an inch that you don’t want to bleach and cover the fabric with a plastic bag. Using a spray bottle filled with bleach, spray the side you want to dye and leave it on for about 10-15 minutes or long enough to see the color you want. Gently wash out the bleach using cold water and then throw the jeans in the washing machine on a cold setting - if it’s warm or hot, it will ruin the fabric!
3. Using Stencils - by using stencils like stars or hearts, you can create cool patterns on the denim that look store-bought. Place the stencils on the denim and carefully spray or pour some bleach within the stencil. Follow the same steps for the rest of the bleaching process and you’ll have a cool DIY style to brag about.

Embroidering Your Clothes

Although it sounds scary, embroidery isn’t as difficult as it sounds! As long as you have a needle and thread, you’ll be able to create some cool and unique designs on your clothes. You’ll need embroidering thread (which you can find at any crafts store) and a needle with a large hole so it’s easier to thread. 

Try using Pinterest to find fun patterns for inspiration and print them out. To make the stenciling easier, poke holes along the lines of the pattern using your needle. Pin the paper/stencil to your t-shirt and use a pencil or pen to poke through the holes and transfer the stencil to your fabric. This creates an easy-to-follow design for embroidering your shirt. If you don’t know how to sew or embroider, that’s okay too! There are tons of YouTube videos that explain all the different beginner sewing techniques you can use for your design.

Distress your Denim

By using a pair of scissors, tweezers, and some old denim, you’ll be able to revamp your jeans with this cool distressing process.

Start by cutting two parallel lines on the fabric about an inch and a half apart. Then turn the jeans inside out so that you can use the tweezers to start pulling out all the loose white threads along those cut lines, but don’t tear them off the jeans! Make sure they’re still attached to the denim. Eventually, your little rectangle of fabric will start getting smaller and this is when you can start pulling out the blue threads - these you can pull off the denim completely. You should end up with a cool distressed style that looks like it just came off the runway.

Stitching Together T-Shirts

A very popular style for t-shirts is half and half - taking two t-shirts and cutting them together to create a stylish grunge look. This is a tougher DIY project, requiring fabric glue, scissors, and two t-shirts that are roughly the same size.

Start by laying out your t-shirt completely flat (no creases) and folding it perfectly in half. Next, take your scissors and cut along the folded part of the fabric. Don’t rush on this part! It’s okay if it’s not perfectly straight. After you cut both t-shirts, lay one flat, print side facing up, and place the other on top, print side facing down. Take the fabric glue and start lining the bottom t-shirt and gluing both together. Don’t glue down the entire thing at once - go slowly and add more glue as you go. Once you’re finished, let the glue set for about two hours. If you’re on a time crunch, you can use a hairdryer to speed up the process. Even though the new t-shirt looks ready to wear, it’s recommended that you wait at least 24-48 hours before showing off your new garment.

Xx, Elena Golubovich

Ohio University, Alpha Delta Pi

@elenagolubovich